Lamborghini

Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A., commonly referred to as Lamborghini, is an Italian carmaker.

Company History

Automobili Lamborghini S.p.A. (S.p.A. stands for Società per Azioni, the Italian version of a Joint stock company) was founded in early 1963 by the self-made millionaire Ferruccio Lamborghini.

His fortune was made by building tractors from army surplus left by the Allied Forces back in 1945. He started his business from a small garage, before moving to larger buildings as demand rose for his powerful tractors.

Alleged ‘encounter’ with Enzo Ferrari

The following story is a popular legend.

Ferruccio became one of Italy’s wealthiest men, with a lifestyle that included high speed GT cars like the Mercedes SL300 and Ferrari he owned alongside a Jaguar.

When his Ferrari started having problems with its clutch, which the local workshop couldn't fix, Ferruccio decided to drive to Modena and confront Enzo Ferrari himself.

Enzo, known for his arrogance, told the 'farmer' to take a walk. Ferruccio was furious and at that moment decided to show Enzo how he should build GT cars.

At the time, the GT car market was still open for new things and money could still be made by building high speed, well finished cars.

Lamborghini successfully modified one of his personally-owned Ferrari 250GTs to outperform stock models, and pursued an automobile manufacturing venture of his own to create the perfect touring car.

Today, the perceived rivalry between Lamborghini and Ferrari still fires the imaginations of car collectors and enthusiasts.

Lamborghini 350 GTV

The Lamborghini "350 GTV" prototype was shown to the public on the Turin Auto Show of 1963, going on sale the following year as the 350 GT.

The 350 GT proved a success, selling over 130. The 350 GT was succeeded by the 400 GT and then the 400 GT 2+2. After the release of these car’s, Lamborghini’s fame extended throughout the world.

Funded by his successful tractor business, Ferruccio allowed his engineers to design and construction a new car - the Lamborghini Miura.

Lamborghini Miura

The Miura made the Lamborghini name legendary. It was a car truly ahead of its time. According to car historians, it shocked even companies like Ferrari and Maserati. It has been called ‘the world’s first supercar.’

Notable sales

A 1984 Lamborghini Countach was sold at UK auctioneer Historics at Brooklands for £74,313.75 ($117,382) in November, 2010.

A 1972 Lamborghini Miura SV with just 5,000km on the clock sold to an American collector for €680,700 at an auction held by Artcurial at the Le Mans race circuit on 9th July 2010.